Matters of the future
by Rick Benn
Summary: Everything's going okay on planet Mobius. The Mobians are happier than ever before, the environment is safe and free of harm. Sonic the hedgehog, the hero of Mobius, never felt peace like this before... Until one day, an encounter with a visitor from the future changes everything. Is this the end? No. Sonic and his friends are out to save their planet once again.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 ** _Disclaimer - Sonic the hedgehog and all other characters are not owned by me._**

 ** _This story contains just one OC. Kindly review!_**

It was a regular day on planet Mobius. The atmosphere was safe from any possible harm, the environment was clean and peaceful, the people were happy and easy going. It has been so for the past three years. Ever since the Freedom Fighters defeated The Death Egg. No one had ever expected life to be so full of peace and tranquillity before then. But bang! Such a life has come now and they hoped it would go on for some time, for you never know when things take a turn.

Everyone was happy, except for a certain blue hedgehog named…

'Sonic the hedgehog! Hero of Mobius, destroyer of evil, fighter of bad guys, a huge fan of chilli dogs and of course, the most important – a chick magnet!' Sonic ended his self introductory speech in front of the mirror with a wink and his signature grin.

'Sonic would you please stop admiring yourself!You've been doing it for the past few days already!' Tails, the yellow two tailed fox said as he worked on a broken regulator.

'Sigh, fine…' said Sonic as he sped away from the mirror to be next to his brotherly figure. 'It's just that…I'm restless Tails! I've got nothing else to do around here. I miss those days when we were always out and about kicking some Eggman butt.'

Tails stopped working on the regulator to look up at Sonic. He wasn't hearing that dialogue for the first time. Ever since Sonic defeated Eggman and sent him away for good to the prison island called Kurfew, life has been 'normal' to the speedy blue hedgehog. And Sonic was never used to a normal life. He loved having adventures and chasing bad guys. In fact, he loved being a called a hero. Saving peoples' lives has always been in his blood. Now, though, as he didn't have any chance to live up to his name. All he ever did was prevent crime in the city, nothing else. What he wanted was actual adventure. He feels bored and restless most of the time. He spends too much of his time with Tails or with his friend Knuckles (which was only once in two months) to pass time and keep himself engaged.

'It's okay Sonic. Who knows? Maybe some adventure must be coming your way sooner than you think.' Tails reassured with a smile.

'Well, if it is, I sure hope it comes our way fast. Coz' I just can't get used to a normal life!' Sonic said as he sat on a nearby chair and placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

Tails shook his head and went back to his regulator. He didn't like seeing Sonic idle. He was not used to it. Suddenly an idea came up inside his head. He turned to his blue friend.

'Why don't you go hang out with Amy? I heard she's going grocery shopping today and has got a lot on her list. She might need help. It'll help pass your time.'

Sonic eyed Tails, looking for a hint of laughter on his face, failing to find any, he sighed and said, 'Seriously, Tails? _Amy_ of all people? You do know that if I go with her, she'll go hyper as usual and refuse to let me come back.'

'That's okay. You can even have your dinner at Amy's place. She's a good cook. You'll enjoy your time. I promise.'

Sonic gawked at his friend, 'What?! Seriously Tails!? I can't go out with her…!'

Tails once again stopped working on the regulator to look up at Sonic with a serious expression on his face. 'Okay then, you tell me what to do. You spent the entire day hanging about at my place doing nothing except watch TV or eat chilli dogs. Spending time with another friend in some productive activity such as shopping is not going to harm you in any way, trust me. And besides, when was the last time you spoke to Amy? Three months ago?!'

Sonic stared at Tails with his mouth open. He suddenly felt guilty. He thought about the little pink hedgehog who has a huge crush on him. To think that he hadn't spoken to her for three months was something he felt guilty about now. He didn't meet Tails eyes.

Tails moved forward and placed his hands on Sonic's shoulders. 'Listen Sonic. Life is not like how it once was now. It's more peaceful. And we all know that you're not used to it. The thing is, you've been so lazy now–a-days that you've stopped talking to people who you love the most…'

Sonic looked at Tails and sighed, 'You're right. But I heard that she's been busy the past three months with cleaning and hanging out with Vanilla and Cream…?'

'That's true, Sonic. She was busy. But now she's not. She's free today. Now's your chance to spend some good time with her.' Tails remarked as he went back to the regulator. 'Besides…'

Sonic looked at Tails eagerly.

'I know you like her… more than you'll ever show.' he winked.

Sonic burst out laughing and said while wiping away his tears, 'Alright pal, enough with your assumptions!' he waved off Tails' words and sped to the door. 'I'll see you in the evening!' he then winked and gave a thumbs –up as he took off in a blue blur, leaving Tails at his workshop, who was very much amazed at the sudden light that had appeared in Sonic's eyes.

 **Author's note -**

 **My first chapter! I don't know if you've all enjoyed it. Either way, do review. I warn you that I won't be quick in uploading chapters but I'll sure try my best. Just let me know what you guys think of this first chapter though...thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sonic reached Amy's house in less than a minute. Normally, it would take around thirty minutes or more for an average person to reach her house from where he stayed. The speedster never had any trouble with time because of his gift of speed.

Amy's house was a beautiful pink and yellow, single floor villa with red tiled roofing. The house had a beautiful, well kept garden in the front while at the back, there was a lovely fruit orchard. The front garden was decorated with flowers and picnic accessories. There was a tiny bird bath to the right of the entrance beneath a huge Deodar tree and a miniature pool to the left. The house was indeed a sight to behold for anyone who passed by.

As Sonic walked up to the front porch, the smell of freshly baked pancakes streaming from the kitchen window captivated his senses. He rang the door bell to her house and waited patiently for the pink hedgehog to answer.

Amy woke up earlier than usual that day as she had to do the laundry and make herself breakfast before leaving for grocery shopping. She didn't have a tight schedule for the day and decided to relax once she got back. The next day though, she would be busy. A monthly appointment with the dentist and weekly cooking sessions with Vanilla would indeed keep her busy.

Once she had a quick wash, she went to the kitchen and decided to make pancakes for breakfast. She took out the pans and the necessary ingredients and soon set to work while listening to the radio. After awhile, when the pancakes where ready to be served, the door bell rang.

 _That's funny. I wonder who it could be so early!_ She thought to herself as she got up to answer the door.

The door opened and there stood Amy Rose. She gaped at the visitor standing at her doorstep with wide eyes. Sonic smiled. How long it has been since he had last seen her!

'Hey Ames! Nice day isn't it?' Sonic greeted with a smile as he motioned with his hands outside.

Amy didn't respond. She just stood there transfixed, unable to take her eyes away from him. Hearing no response, Sonic said more cautiously, 'Um…is everything alright Ames? I mean, am I intruding or something?'

Still no response. He noticed a look of hurt in her eyes. He sighed, refusing to make eye contact with her as he said, 'Look, Amy, I'm sorry for not having come to see you for the past three months. I… heard you were busy. I wanted to see you but I was kinda worried that you might not be free and…'

Sonic was cut short as Amy suddenly broke into a huge smile and leapt forward to give him one of her death hugs. He found himself gasping for air but stopped when he realised that she was shaking. It suddenly hurt him to know how much she had missed him. He placed a hand on her back and said, 'Hey Ames, chill. I'm here now.'

Amy let go slowly and looked him in the eye, as if looking for a hint of sincerity. Satisfied, she smiled and led him inside, 'Good morning Sonic! Come on in, breakfast is ready.'

After having breakfast for the second time that day, Sonic lay on Amy's couch, relishing the taste of the pancakes. Amy sat across from him on a chair and has still not recovered from her morning surprise. She then asked,

'So what brings you here Sonic? I never knew you got up so early.'

Sonic looked at her and smiled as he said, 'Naa I'm not the old me. I get up early most of the days now and hang around at Tails' workshop; or on Angel Island with Kunx. You know…' he sat up now on the couch. 'Things are not the same as they once used to be…'

Amy sighed. She knew it. As much as she hated adventures, she longed for one at the instant. Saving the world was much more entertaining that finding out new recipes at home all by herself. She decided to change the subject for later.

'Well, let's leave that topic for now shall we?' she smiled as she stood up. 'So what made you show up all of sudden? It's not like you _choose_ to hang around with me. Someone must have obviously convinced you to, right?'

Sonic lay back on the sofa and grinned, 'Ha! Fat chance!'

Amy now folded her arms, 'Oh really, Sonic? Don't tell me you chose to spend some time with me to help me with grocery shopping _without_ Tails telling you to?'

Sonic gaped at her, 'Hey, how do you know that?!'

Amy smiled, 'I know you Sonic. The Sonic I know would _never_ spend time with me willingly'

'Hey that's not true! Of course I like spending time with you Ames.' And before Amy could answer, he asked, 'Now when are you leaving for the groceries?'

Amy stared at him with an open mouth. She then replied, 'Within an hour…'

'Alright, that's ok by me. Do you mind if I hang around here until then?'

Amy shook her head.

'Sweet! Wake me up in an hour!' he grinned at her as he lay back on the sofa and soon fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _Disclaimer - Sonic the hedgehog and all other characters are not owned by me_

It was around nine – thirty when Sonic and Amy went to shop for the groceries (the extra thirty minutes was spent trying to wake up Sonic from his deep slumber). They decided that they would go to a nearby store so that they would reach in time for lunch.

They did the shopping within thirty minutes, while sharing old adventures and jokes. Amy never felt happier; she knew it was because her hero was with her, keeping her good company. Sonic enjoyed her company as well. It took this day, this moment, to make him realise that he had never really spent some good time with her to understand her better. He realised that she wasn't as bad as he thought she was. Despite the fact that she loved him and chased him a lot annoyed him, deep inside, he did have strong feelings for her. He now felt those feelings grow stronger by the minute.

Once Amy paid for the groceries, they left the store and began to walk back to her house slowly. Sonic helped carry some of the groceries as there were too much for her to carry alone. They spoke while they walked.

'It's a lovely day indeed Sonic!' Amy remarked, looking around.

'Yeah, it sure is Amy.' Sonic smiled.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Sonic said, 'So…what have you been doing since we last saw each other?'

'Well, as you know, I did have a lot of cleaning to do, after what you and Eggman did to my house!' Amy said as she looked at Sonic with a scowl.

Sonic looked at her and laughed, 'Hey! You do know that was an accident! Besides, I had offered my service but you declined.'

'Ha! Says someone who nearly turned his house into a junkyard once if it wasn't for Tails' help!'

'Hey it wasn't my fault that the vacuum cleaner was about to burst!' Sonic said with an innocent expression.

'Yeah, right!' Amy scoffed and sighed. 'Those were _some_ days anyway.'

Sonic looked at her and nodded, 'Yeah…'

'I don't know…as much as I dislike Eggman and his evil schemes, I do miss all the times we spent fighting him.'

'I know, me too…Death Egg was terrifying indeed but it was a piece of cake in the end once we figured out its weak point!' he then added, 'After Knux and Shadow sent him away to Kurfew, I thought it would all be okay from then on…but I now realise that I can't stay put. I need to keep kicking!'

Amy laughed. 'That's so you Sonic!'

'Yeah!' Sonic said. They were now walking along a stone pathway that went through a park. The park was strangely deserted, much to the two hedgehogs' surprise.

' That's strange…' Amy whispered.

'I know…' Sonic said as he scanned the park for people. But there were none.

'The park's always crowded at this time of the day!'

'I don't know Ames…'

'Hmm…' Amy mused. 'I know!'

Sonic turned to her. 'What?'

'Maybe everyone went for the inauguration of that new shopping mall at The Square!'

'Pfft! Who would even care about that!?' Sonic rolled his eyes.

'Hey, I would!' Amy said and looked annoyed.

'Yeah you sure would, Ames!' Sonic remarked as he ruffled her hair playfully. He realised how adorable she looked while she was annoyed.

Amy giggled. 'We're almost there Sonic!'

Sonic looked at the where she pointed and smiled. 'Yeah Ames, we're almost there!'

'Race ya!' Amy smirked and quickly ran ahead of him. The groceries held safely within her grasp.

'You really dare race with me!?' Sonic laughed as he ran ahead. He didn't know what, but he felt a dark shape move from the corner of his eyes as he took off. He let it pass as he sped past Amy before stopping a few steps ahead of her.

'Ha! Looks like I win Ames!' Sonic grinned as he turned behind to face her.

His expression suddenly turned into shock.

Amy wasn't behind him.

 **I know my chapters are short. But don't be annoyed about it...I'll keep posting more chapters! Please review guys...it'll help! Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _ **I know I'm late, very late. But I promise to be more frequent with my posts from here on!**_

'Are you sure you've searched the entire park?' Tails asked with a look of worry in his face. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Amy is missing.

'Tails, since when did I seen _less_ convincing to you?' Sonic asked exasperatedly. He was tired of his best – friend's questioning behavior.

'Have you searched the surrounding neighborhood?'

'Yes I have already!' he was getting tired of it now.

'This seems so unreal. It's impossible to hold Eggman behind this since he's locked away at Kurfew.'

'Maybe he must have assigned someone; someone with whom he must be having contact even behind bars.'

'Look Sonic,' Tails said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. The warm touch soothed Sonic's nerves that had been flaring ever since he lost Amy at the park. 'Dr. Eggman is not allowed to converse with anyone. All his links with the outside world has been either destroyed or taken away from him. Orbot and Cubot have been dismantled as you already know. We know that Shadow and Rouge oversaw that nothing would help him escape. And we trust them. There is no way Eggman could have communicated with anyone.'

Sonic sighed. Tails was right. The doctor was locked in a heavily guarded cell with CCTV cameras that were lined along the corridors that led to his cell. The guards were well trained to ensure that nothing would get through. The doctor, for the very first time, is been held captive in a place he has no means of escape. Accounting him for Amy's disappearance was off the list.

'Where could she be then, Tails?'

'We'll look. Till then I want you to look back into that time you were with Amy at the park. I'm sure there must have been someone there at the time. In the meantime, I'll contact Knuckles to see if he can use the power of the Master Emerald to track down Amy in any way possible. He has done it before, I'm sure he can do it again.'

Sonic sat down on a stool and thought. He was certain that there weren't any one about at the park. He went back…

 _Amy's house… spoke…went for grocery shopping…laughed a lot…people everywhere minding their own business…walked towards the park…no sign of any people…inauguration at Station Square…raced her…went ahead…looked back…and then…_

He was missing something. He went back to the race he had with Amy.

 _I raced her…and…_ his heart thumped against his chest, _as I ran…I saw someone, something…dark._

He stood up and the stool went toppling to the floor. _A dark shape…out the corner of my eyes…I didn't pay attention then thinking it was just an illusion, but…_

'SONIC! WHAT IS THIS I HEAR? AMY'S MISSING?!'

Knuckle's loud voice shook Sonic out of his thoughts.

'Hey, Knux! Look , it's bizarre and I think I know what's going on.'

'Well you'd better know what's goin' on blue coz it's about time you received some heavy knuckle time!'

'What's up with you!?'

'You were supposed to take care of her!'

'I did take care of her! If it weren't for me, she wouldn't even be living!'

'You think your nice timing at rescuing her before the Death Egg blew up is a huge deal?! Look here, Sonic, the girl loves you. She has always had even when she knew that you'll never love her back the same way. It was your duty to take care of her as you had promised then but now she's MISSING!'

'YOU THINK THAT'S MY FAULT!? YOU THINK AMY'S DISAPPEARANCE HAS GOT SOMETHING TO DO WITH ME!?'

'GUYS STOP IT!'

Sonic and Knuckles turned to look at Tails standing by the doorway to the workshop. He looked pained. They immediately broke off and stood at ease.

'Guys this is not the time to fight! We are in grave situation. I understand things are not easy since Amy's not here with us. But if there's ever any way of finding her, I need full cooperation from you both.' Tails said as he walked towards them both. He then looked at Knuckles.

'Knuckles, did you get anything from the emerald?'

'No, Tails…nothing of value.'

'What about you Sonic?'

'I…' he bagan and looked straight into Tail's bright blue eyes. 'I saw something Tails, as I was racing her at the park, I saw someone move swiftly out the corner of my eye. It was a dark, hooded shape. That's all I saw. I feel it's got something to do with Amy's disappearance.'

Tails nodded as he thought about it.

Knuckles broke the silence by saying, 'A dark figure…wait. I saw that too…in the Master Emerald!'

'What?!' both Sonic and Tails remarked at the same time.

'When I was channeling the power of the chaos emeralds toward the Master Emerald to get any insight to Amy's disappearance, I swear I saw this dark figure - a blurred and hazy shape appear on the emerald. That's the only clue I got even though I had tried again.'

An eerie silence fell upon them as they let the words sink in.

'Someone other than Eggman is behind this.' Tails concluded the obvious.

'Yeah, but who?' Sonic asked as he tried to prevent his voice from shaking, but failed miserably.

'We've got to find out. Whoever it is that took Amy knows that we'll go after them. She's a vulnerable target.'

'No she's not Knux. She's very much capable of taking care of herself than we think. She's fifteen now. She's not weak. She must be having something that they're after.'

'Alright you guys, before we embark on another argument, we should track down this thing you guys are talking about.'

Sonic scoffed, 'Yeah Tails we should. But how are we gonna do that? That thing is basically a dark shape. Neither I nor Knuckles know how it looks like. This is going to be hard hunt.'

'That's nothing to be worried about. I have just the thing that'll help us track this nameless being. But for that, I need your help.'

'Hey Tails of course we're in! How long has it been since we've had an adventure?' Knuckles laughed.

'The only thing is, this is _not_ an adventure. It's serious. I hope Amy's alright.'

'We'll soon know that Sonic. Come on guys! To the X –Tornado!'

'YES!' Both Knuckles and Sonic shouted together as they raced off behind their smart, yellow two – tailed friend.

 **Kindly Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

'This is the last time I'll be asking you Tails. How does this thing work?' Knuckles asked as he held on to a small object that was about seven inches tall. It had a few buttons the use of which he didn't know and a screen that showed some values. The values seemed to either increase or decrease depending on the air around them.

'It's a Particle Heat Stimulator. Don't mind the name. It's temporary, I came up with it when we had to search for Espio, remember? We wanted to know where he was inside the Death Egg so that we could keep up with him. The device basically can access body heat. It is specifically designed to access _only_ body heat. When there is anybody near – by, it lets out a tiny beep and then we'll know where that person is.'

'Well, but right now there's the three of us here. Won't this thing be able to track down our body heat as well?'

'Good question Knuckles. The thing is, the PHS can _only_ detect heat emitted by invisible persons, not visible persons.'

'Wait, the PHS?' Knuckles asked.

'Particle Heat Stimulator.'

'Oh! Right, I knew that.'

Tails let out a sigh and shook his head.

The X – Tornado flew across Green Hill valley and as it neared Station Square, it slowed down. From where Sonic sat on the left wing, the bright city lights were breathtaking. Everything seemed so perfect, so peaceful. No more Eggman to intrude into the lives of ordinary citizens. Everything was alright. Just when everything seemed so perfect, things had to go wrong again. He was dead worried about Amy. He knew she wouldn't be used as bait. She's just too strong for that. All his life, his enemies had always faced him directly. They never used any bait to lure him into their folds. This was different. This time, it wasn't him that they wanted. It was her.

He closed his eyes and felt the cool wind blow on his face. He could hear Knuckles and Tails talking about some device that Tails had brought with him and how the utility of such a device could prevent Espio from acting smart with them. He heard them laughing with glee. Sonic sighed. _How could they laugh when Amy is missing?_ He felt the urge to shout at them telling them to stop but refrained from doing so. Things were bad and he didn't want to make them worse.

Just then, he felt a hand tap his back. He didn't have to turn around.

'All okay, Sonic?' Tails asked as he sat next to his blue hero.

'Knuckles is flying the Tornado?' Sonic smirked.

'It's on auto – pilot.' Tails answered with a smile.

'Any readings on that thing?'

'No. Not yet Sonic. But we'll be having them soon.'

Sonic nodded as he turned to look at Tails. He could see Knuckles in the co – pilot seat keeping an eye on the device. Every once in a while, he opened his mouth as if to call out to them but closed them just as fast and shook his head.

Tails followed Sonic's gaze and grinned. 'He's not so bad you know? I thought after the war, the two of you would get together. I guess that was a false hope.'

'Hey, you do know that he's got a duty that is of far more importance than spending time with someone who spends _his_ time eating chilly dogs all day.'

'That's true. But you guys should try to avoid these frequent arguments and fights. You're eighteen now Sonic. You're no longer young.'

'I know Tails, I know…' Sonic sighed.

They sat together in silence as they watched the city below them. The new mall that Amy had mentioned during their walk was ahead of them. It was huge with four stories and was crowded to the brim.

 _Amy had planned to go there._

Sonic shook his head from her thoughts and looked ahead. The park was coming into view in the distance.

'That's the place isn't it?' Tails asked, looking ahead.

Sonic nodded in reply. 'It's so frustrating Tails. We have no idea who this person is…! Why would they want Amy? She's harmless! It's us who put her in harm most of the time.'

'I hate to disagree with you Sonic but Amy walks into battle by her free will. She loves being a hero just as much.'

'I know Tails, I'm just…desperate!'

'Hey, you really want to find her don't you Sonic?'

'YES! I mean, well…she's a friend Tails. Don't tell me you're not too keen on finding her!' Sonic exclaimed.

'I am, Sonic, just as much as you are. I like Amy.' Tails said softly.

'I know you do buddy.' Sonic said as he playfully punched Tails' arm and they laughed.

The easy atmosphere between the two was broken by Knuckles shouting :

'GUYS! I'VE GOT A READING!'

The X – Tornado landed on the grassy earth away from plain sight. Sonic, Knuckles and Tails disembarked and ran to the approximate spot where the reading was coming from. It was a huge clearing in the park with no one in sight. Typical since it was 1:00 AM. They scourged the area thoroughly looking for any sign of movement. Tails walked around to get a sharper reading, Knuckles leapt upon a nearby tree to have an aerial view while Sonic ran around, hoping to see that same dark shape. Nothing.

'I think that device is of no good Tails!' Knuckles shouted to Tails from the tree. 'I don't seem to see or feel any presence.'

'Just keep looking Knuckles!' Tails called out from below.

'Pfft. Bullshit! _Look_ for someone I can't see?' As he prepared to jump onto another tree, he suddenly felt a sharp blow to his stomach and he fell.

He quickly got to his feet ignoring the throbbing pain and bared his knuckles and looked around.

'Come out and fight like a man ya coward!' he shouted.

Sonic and Tails were instantly by his side.

'What's wrong Knuckles?!' Sonic asked.

'He's here! He just punched me! COME OUT YOU BASTARD!'

Tails immediately looked down at the PHS and the reading was high and so was the beep. 'He's here somewhere! Be on the lookout guys!'

They looked around and waited for any kind of movement. Sonic kept moving about every few inches and spread out his stance. He was about to stop near a bush when someone delivered a sharp blow to his chest. He let out a gasp and stood his ground. He felt movement behind him and quickly side – stepped and grabbed hold of a cloth. He then quickly got hold of an arm and held on tight. Whoever it was tried to get away and just as Sonic was about to punch the person, Knuckles grabbed hold of the guy's other arm. He was trapped now with no means of escape. He trashed and kicked and Knuckles delivered a sharp blow to the kidnapper's stomach with his leg and the trashing ceased instantly.

Tails flew towards them yelling, 'Guys, hold your breath!'

Sonic and Knuckles both held their breath as Tails used his device to spray a certain gas that soon glowed and formed a barrier around the captive. They both let go and stood at a safe distance and watched as the cage - like barrier shook from the violent trashing of the captive within it.

Sonic wiped of the sweat from his forehead and felt the pain on his chest. He groaned and sat down. It was a really heavy blow that took all the breath out of him, none like the ones he had received countless number of times earlier. He took sharp intakes of air and felt his vision blur.

'SONIC!' Knuckles rushed forward and knelt beside him. 'You alright? That was some blow wasn't it?'

Sonic grimaced and looked at Tails who looked back at him with worried eyes. 'Guaranteed barrier?'

Tails grinned and nodded, 'Guaranteed.'

Sonic gave Tails his signature smile and thumbs up before he passed out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Okay so here is chapter six! Guys kindly review so that I know if you guys find this interesting or not. I mean, if you guys feel that I should add something then just let me know! I'd really appreciate it! So, yeah, review. review review...pretty please?**

 **Thanks!**

' _You don't have to Sonic!' she cried._

 _He had to suppress the urge to laugh. She had fallen for his trick which allowed him to go and surrender to Dr. Eggman at his chambers. Surrender for them so that they could be safe. Surrender so that they wouldn't have to worry about anyone or anything. Surrender so that they would be safe and left unharmed…though of course he could never give himself to Egghead. He would never give up his fight for freedom. He knew it was his call to be the hero. And that he would be._

' _Ames, listen I feel it's the right thing to…'_

' _NO!' He was cut off as he was wrapped in a tight hug that squeezed the breath out of him. She shook violently as hot tears welled up in her eyes and flowed down her muzzle._

' _Too…tight…ugh!' he gasped._

 _She let go and stood before him, her head low. He laughed._

' _Hey, Ames, I was just kidding! You know I would_ never _do such a thing!' he said and doubled over._

 _Her expression was priceless!_

' _Sonic?'_

' _Yeah, Ames?'_

' _Sonic wake up. It's late!'_

Sonic pried his eyes open to see Tails look down at him. The morning sun was blocked by his head. The image of Amy slowly vanished and he felt a deep pang of guilt. He wished he had spent more time with her when he could have. He sat up on his elbows and tried to focus. He could see Knuckles having breakfast in the distance and a few feet away, he could see someone lying face down inside a glowing barrier.

'Tails, what happened?' he asked as he rubbed his eyes.

'You passed out last night. That's our captive over there.' Tails replied and pointed.

'Yeah, I see him.' Sonic nodded.

'Actually, Sonic, it's _her_.'

Now he was awake. 'What?!'

'It's a girl.' Tails repeated, 'She seems to be around eighteen. I and Knuckles asked her a few questions about where she came from but she didn't provide clear answers. She still seems to be dazed from that blow Knuckles gave her last night.'

 _Ouch!_ Sonic sympathized with the girl. He was strongly against hurting females. The best tactic he always used to tackle them was his speed.

'So you're telling me that I got punched on the chest by a girl my age?' he asked incredulously.

'Well, apparently that's true Sonic.' Tails stated. 'She seems tough to me.'

'Whatever, Tails. Let's start with the second round of questioning! I can't find myself with the grass all day!' he said as he stood up. His chest still ached but not as much as it did last night.

They both made their way toward Knuckles who sat having the last bite of his Chicken sandwich. He looked up when Sonic approached.

'Had a good night's sleep, Sonic?' he asked with a smirk.

'You bet I did!' Sonic threw back as he sat down and took a sandwich.

Knuckles was quiet. Not common. Sonic looked at him and thought what could be wrong. Just then Tails shot him a glance that led from Knuckles to the captive girl. _The blow he gave her last night!_ Sonic sighed and shook his head.

'Hey, Knux, who's taking care of the Master Emerald while you're gone?' Sonic asked, hoping it would help steer away the echidna's guilt.

'Rouge said she would take care of it.'

'Oooooh Rouge?' Sonic teased and laughed as Knuckles went red.

Tails was serious though, 'You trust her Knuckles?'

'Huh? Of course I do Tails. She's not that bad. Even if she would steal it, I would know where to find her.' Knuckles stated as a matter – of – fact.

Sonic laughed harder, 'You would know where she'd hide the emerald?'

'Hey hedgehog, if it's some knuckles that you want then you're getting 'em!'

They were about to start a friendly fight when Tails broke them off by saying, 'Guys! I think she's awake.'

That put a stop to their fight as the three stared at the captive. She was sitting up now and was looking in their direction. From how she sat, they could tell that she was tired.

'Right.' Knuckles said as he got up and dusted his hands. 'We've got some questioning to do.'

Sonic, Knuckles and Tails stood in front of the barrier. The hooded figure seemed to stare at each of them. They still couldn't see her face as it was covered. Knuckles was the first to start the questioning,

'Tell us who you are!' he blared.

'Knuckles! Don't be too hard on her!' Tails remarked.

'Hard? You saw how she injured me and Sonic yesterday! She deserves to be dealt with the hard way!'

'That's enough!' Sonic waved him off. He went closer and knelt so that now, he was facing her directly. 'Hey, you okay?' he asked gently while he still looked serious.

'Right, now mister I'm – so – hot – and – better – with – girls thinks he's smart.'

Sonic ignored Knuckles and asked more gently to the captive, 'Is it you who kidnapped our friend?'

The girl shifted uncomfortably. She seemed to be weary of the cage in which she was imprisoned in and seemed to look him in the eyes.

'Tails, I think she wants us to get her out of the cage.'

'No way! We ain't doing that unless she gives us some answers!' Knuckles stated.

Sonic looked over at Tails who nodded in approval of Knuckles. He sighed and turned back to the captive. 'Tell us, who you are.'

'I'll tell you everything you need to know once you get me out of here.' She said as she looked up at Tails.

'You won't try to escape?' Sonic asked.

'I believe it's already too late for that, Sonic.'

The three stared down at the captive in shock. She knows Sonic! This was _not_ normal.

'Tails, please get me out. I promise to answer your questions then. Your's too Knuckles.' She said and nodded.

Tails quickly took out his device and pressed a switch. They moved away from the cage as the barriers disappeared. The girl then stood up and took off her hood. She then proceeded to take off the cloth that hid her face. Once she was done, the three had a good look at how she looked like. She didn't look harmless at all.

She was a hedgehog who seemed to be around eighteen or nineteen. She had long, light orange quills that fell over chest and had bright blue eyes. Her brown, wavy hair partly covered her left eyes and she wore a red hairband. She had the expression of a warrior even though she didn't look like one. She looked, instead, like an average eighteen year old. The only thing that puzzled them was that she didn't look like a bad person. Something about her said that she was with them.

Sonic stared at the cute hedgehog in front of him and he couldn't fathom that this was the same girl who had delivered him and Knuckles hard blows last night.

The girl took a few steps towards them and looked at each of them in the eye with a strong sense of purpose as she said, 'I'm Shari. Shari the Hedgehog; and I come from the future.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 _ **Honestly speaking, if I had updated chapters since October, I would have crossed chapter 50 by now...ha ha! Well any way, I can't do anything about that now. It's just that I was busy with my college and as a result, didn't find time to type out new chapters. Okay, back to the present. Just so you know, I have updated the first chapter just a little. If you want, you may go through.**_

 _ **Again guys, please review. All sorts of criticisms and appreciations are welcome. I'd always be grateful! Thanks!**_

Sonic, Knuckles and Tails were seated on the soft grass side by side in front of Shari. After she had introduced herself, she was stared at with shock and, as if to begin things herself, she walked to their picnic spot, sat down and grabbed a sandwich. They followed suit.

Sonic stared at the mysterious hedgehog from the future. For some reason he wasn't aware of, he felt a deep sense of connection towards her. He didn't exactly know what that connection was but he felt it. And as he stared at her and watched as she ate the sandwich, he couldn't help think how cute she was. She wasn't the beautiful type; but something about her looks, maybe her eyes or hairstyle, made her look adorable. She had a not – so – feminine voice too and a strong aura around her, like she didn't allow herself to be tamed easily by males. Sonic respected that and he smiled more to himself.

Shari finished her sandwich and wiped her hands and mouth clean with a tissue. She then looked at them; first at Sonic, then Knuckles and finally Tails. She looked serious. This was Sonic's cue.

'Why are you here, Shari?'

'I am here to seek your help.' She said, 'I know I might not sound convincing but it's the truth. I have come to take you to the future with me. We need you guys there.'

'Wait, the future?' Knuckles asked, sounding amazed, 'Does that mean we get to see future us?'

Shari smiled, 'Yes, Knuckles, hopefully you will.'

'Woah!' Knuckles was lost in thought after that as he wondered how future him would look like.

'Shari, why is it that you need us in the future?' Tails asked.

'It sounds odd, I know.' She said, 'but something grave is happening there that was caused by your actions during the war. If it's not you guys, then I believe there will be no one else who can restore peace. And if this is not taken care of now, then there will be no second chance to act.'

'If you need our help then why did you attack us last night?' Sonic asked.

She sighed. 'I had no choice. You guys seemed so keen on finding me and asking me questions regarding Amy that I thought would not be easy if I just showed myself. I had to act and create some confusion so that we could be even later on. I wasn't intending to hurt you guys. I knew that I would get caught eventually.'

'That's dumb!' Knuckles laughed.

'It may sound so. But I also knew that, considering how well I know you guys, you would, by no doubt, hurt me.' She pointed out. 'That turned out to be true anyway!'

'Is it you who kidnapped Amy?' Sonic asked as he looked at her.

'Yes, Sonic.' She replied softly as she looked him in the eye, 'I kidnapped Amy.'

'Why!?' he almost shouted. He didn't like where this conversation was going. What he did know was that they caught her so that she could tell them where Amy is so that they could go and bring her back home. _Who cares about the future!?_

'Sonic. It's not what you think. I had to kidnap Amy because of something she _possesses_ ' Shari tried to sound convincing.

'Possesses?' Tails asked.

'Yes Tails, possesses. She has something that we have to get rid of. And we can't do that without your help.'

'Possesses _what_?' Knuckles asked.

'Well…' she tried to find the words. 'Was she engaged in any kind of combat recently?'

'Um…the last time she fought was during the war. I don't think she has fought after that.' Sonic replied.

'That explains it.' Shari said softly.

'Explains _what_?' Sonic urged.

' _That_ I can only explain after we get there. I'm sorry.'

Sonic sighed. 'Is she alright?'

Shari smiled as she said, 'Yes Sonic, she's alright and away from any kind of physical harm. Right now, she's probably being tended to by Vanilla.'

Sonic relaxed now. 'Why us?'

'Well…because we believe that it's your fault that she has what she has.'

'Our fault?!' Knuckles asked.

'Please don't feel bad Knuckles. It's nothing to worry about as long as you guys agree to come with me.'

'To the future?' Tails.

'Yes and we're running short of time. We need to hurry.' She said hastily and stood up.

They got up as well and took in the surroundings. The bright sunlight bathed the clearing and a cool breeze blew by them. The food was over and in the distance, the X – Tornado sat majestically. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful and in sharp contrast to their current situation.

'Why would we trust you?' Knuckles asked.

'I know. I don't have anything to make you guys trust me. But do know that…' she lowered her voice and it shook slightly, '…do know that the future of Mobius lies in your hands.' There was so much truth in her voice and they believed her. A silence fell over them.

'So it's the future, huh?' Sonic laughed nervously, breaking the awkward silence.

'I just can't wait to see future me!' Knuckles joked, also nervous.

'I wonder how my workshop looks like.' Tails mused.

Shari smiled wearily and said, 'Is there anything you guys would want to carry along with you? Believe me; we won't be coming back here to get anything unless the problem is solved. So if there's anything you'd like to carry along, go get them now.'

The three looked at each other.

'I suppose I'll have to assign Rouge to look after the Emerald for longer.' Knuckles concluded. 'Damn I don't trust her now!'

'It'll be alright Knuckles. Don't worry.' Shari reassured.

'I don't have anything to carry along; but what about the X – Tornado and my workshop here?'

'Don't worry Tails. It'll be taken care of. No one will know of your absence. Your properties will be untouched till you all return.'

'And that'll be…' Knuckles.

'Soon.'

'Right!'

Sonic rubbed his muzzle, 'I don't have anything to carry along as well.' And just as quickly looked at her and asked, 'Do you get free chilli dogs in the future?'

Shari laughed for the first time since she had arrived, 'Yes Sonic, we do have free chilli dogs for our hero!'

'Ha ha!' Sonic blushed.

'So are we ready to go?' she asked.

'Uh – huh! We sure are!' Knuckles exclaimed excitedly.

'I guess we're off on another adventure!' Sonic remarked feeling hyped.

'Ha! What did I tell you Sonic!' Tails grinned at his friend.

'Alright then, come and stand close to me and make sure you close your eyes.'

They did as they were told. Shari closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

And then they were gone.

 **I'll post the next chapter soon! Don't worry! And thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 _ **Okay, so here is chapter 8 guys...kindly review!**_

'This is way too cool!'

Sonic, Knuckles and Tails were standing on a raised platform that overlooked the sprawling city below them. In front of them, Shari seemed to be looking around as if waiting for someone. She didn't pay any attention to them and was in the same position since they had arrived a few minutes ago.

The three were amazed. They have had wild imaginations of the future before; that there would be flying cars, tall sky scrapers, and what not! Everything was exactly like they had imagined. The city was vast and there didn't seem to be space to roam as buildings were situated in every nook and corner. Wide hovering footpaths surrounded every building and joined with other footpaths. Cars, or more likely, planes, flew everywhere. Metros raced through along one side and transit cars were constantly in motion everywhere. It was crazy and a far cry from the peace and tranquility found back home. Yet, everything else was alright. The sun shone in its full glory and the sky was a clear blue. The weather was perfect.

Sonic's legs twitched. He could go for a run any minute. It was Shari who was stopping him as it was clear that someone was bound to come and meet them. He wondered who it could be. He was exited and yet unsure about the possible turn of events that were yet to take place. Just then, a heavy wind blew towards him and that lifted his spirits. He placed his hands on his waist and lifted his head high with a confident smile. He knew that whatever it would be, he had his friends right by his side and that he would guide them to freedom.

'Looks like someone's got a hang of this place already!' Knuckles joked as he playfully pushed Sonic's arm. They both laughed.

'This place has to be Station Square.' Tails remarked as he looked around in awe.

'Ha! Thanks Tails! We sure didn't know that!' Knuckles replied sarcastically. He too was spell bound by the changes that are bound to take place in the future. He had a gazillion questions to ask Shari but he knew they could wait.

'He's here guys!' Shari shouted at them and they moved towards her. A small figure was approaching from the distance on a hover board. Shari waved at him and he waved back. As he got closer, they could see his face. There was no mistake as to who it was. Sonic, Knuckles and Tails gaped as the silver hedgehog landed in front of them and looked over at them with a broad smile.

'Heyya guys!' he grinned as he got off and walked towards them.

Silver!

'You've got to be kiddin' me!' Knuckles gaped at Silver.

'Hey, whattya guys expect? You do know that I'm from the future.' Silver remarked.

'Err yeah we do, but we didn't expect to see you here!'

Silver laughed.

'Well, it's good to see a familiar face though! Hey Silvz!' Sonic grinned as he shook hands with Silver. 'Nice to see you!'

'I'm glad you're here Silver!' Tails exclaimed, 'Do you mind explaining as to what's going on here?'

'Um guys…? I'm still here you know?' Shari waved from behind.

'Hey babe!' Silver smiled and raced towards her much to the amazement of the three.

'Babe?!' they remarked and watched as Silver shuffled her hair and laugh.

'You're tellin' me they're dating?' Knuckles exclaimed.

'No way!' Sonic laughed.

'Wow!' Tails whispered.

'Hey guys! Let's get to Q – base. We'll explain everything there.'

'Q – base?' Tails asked.

'It's the rendezvous point of the Freedom Fighters. You'll meet the others there. Come on!' Shari said as she held on to Silver. He held on to her as he slowly floated up.

'You guys can take the hover board. Just follow me.' He said as he flew ahead.

The three quickly jumped on board with Sonic ahead and raced after Silver.

Q- Base is a colossal glass building located outside the city near the forests. It has approximately fifty floors. The entrance to the building is a large sliding glass doorway with two pillars situated on either side. Four armed security guards stood to attention at the entrance – two near the steps that led up and two near the doorway. The building is situated in a large fifteen acre land and at every ten meters; there are offices for security and CCTV monitoring. The area was so vast that unwanted visitors could spring up from anywhere and hence the countless offices. At the back of the building, a beautiful garden was situated with a meeting shed at the very center of it. A small swimming pool was placed a few feet away from the shed as well. There were various cars and buses parked at the parking lot and people dressed in black were found everywhere. Drones flew about constantly while some landed on the CCTV offices for scrutiny. Everything about the place seemed organized and well managed.

Sonic got off the hover board and had a good look around. He whistled and said, 'Wow! Talk about future rendezvous points!'

When they arrived at the premise, Shari and Silver were met by security guards. One of the guards whispered something to Silver to which he nodded. He then turned around and said, 'Guys, the others will only arrive later on. We'll proceed with the meeting, alright?'

'Others?' Sonic asked.

'Yeah, I mean our comrades…' Silver replied hesitatingly.

Before Sonic could ask any more questions, Shari intervened by saying, 'Guys, let's go upstairs to the meeting room. Come on.'

 _Something's odd around here…_ Sonic thought. He then shrugged off the feeling just as fast.

The three then nodded at Shari and followed them to the wide glass entrance.

They walked into a large well-furnished room that overlooked the city. The room was air –conditioned and comfortable. It had a lively ambience to it.

'Ha haa will you look at that! I sure like the way we see things around here!' Knuckles exclaimed as he plopped on a sofa and began to relax.

'This place is huge! When you guys said _rendezvous_ point I thought it would be some old shack!' Tails stated to which Sonic burst out laughing.

'Ha! Nice one Tails. I thought that too! Who would have ever thought it to be a colossal structure and in clear view of ordinary citizens!?'

'Well guys,' Silver began, 'This is the future. Things aren't the same as it used to be. You see, we are not faced by huge problems anymore such that we need HQs at secret locations.'

'No more huge problems?' Sonic raised an eye brow.

'Before now.' Silver stated.

Tails walked over to the glass window that stretched all the way from the tiled ceiling to the carpeted floor. The sprawling view of Station Square took his breath away. So much changes would take place that would change Station Square.

'I can't believe things are gonna look so different in the near future…' he whispered and then turned to Silver immediately and asked, 'Which year is this?'

'3269'

'Whoa! That'll make me about…fifty years old! Damn!' Sonic mused.

Shari laughed and said, 'Well Sonic, wait till you see future you who'll arrive soon!'

'No one cares about Sonic. I'm pretty sure that the center of attention will be me!' Knuckles pointed out.

'Wow is that a joke Knux? Coz I ain't laughing.'

'Well guys…actually, the center of attention will be Tails.' Shari nodded at Tails.

Sonic and Knuckles turned their attention to Tails who looked surprised.

'Me?!'

'Yes, Tails. Who do you think thought out the plan for this structure and enabled its functioning?' Shari said as she waved her arms around.

There was a silence as Tails blushed.

'Wow, Tails. Who would have ever thought you would stand out in the future?!' Knuckles asked as he shook his head in awe at his friend.

'I knew you'd get the attention you always deserved buddy!' Sonic said as he walked over and patted Tails on his shoulder.

'Hey, it's not like I never get attention you know?'

'Yeah, but this is different.' Sonic winked.

Shari smiled at them both and said, 'Why don't you guys have a look around with Silver while I get something to eat?'

'Yes! I'm starving!' Knuckles said as he jumped off the sofa. 'Can we watch some TV? He asked as he pointed to the sixty inch TV in front of him.

'Um…that's actually used for communication purposes only.' Silver pointed out.

'Oh! Well that sucks!'

Shari laughed as she made her way to the kitchen. Silver watched her leave before he turned to them. 'Come on guys, I'll show you around. There's a lot you've got to see!'

They were walking along a long and narrow corridor that was filled with photos of the team. There were pictures of the Freedom Fighters being awarded medals and trophies for their bravery. Pictures of them having parties and playing pranks at each other. The three could see how everyone changed as the years passed by in the pictures. It was amazing how different things would be in the future.

'This is the Hall of Moments. It was Amy who decided on having this section in the building.' Silver said as he looked at the pictures with them.

 _Her name again_. Sonic felt another pang of guilt and he wanted to see her more than ever now.

'Where is she?' he asked.

'Not here. She's with Vanilla and Cream at their house.' Silver replied softly.

Sonic stayed quiet. He hoped to see her soon.

They walked further slowly and Knuckles spotted a picture where Silver and Shari stood side by side, smiling, at a park. Knuckles nudged Silver and asked teasingly, 'Is there anything going on between you and Shari?'

Silver turned to Knuckles with surprise and replied, 'No. Why do you say that?'

'Wait, you mean there's nothing going on between you guys?' Sonic asked, incredulous.

'Guys, why would you think that way? We're only friends. That's all.'

'You called her "babe".' Tails stated.

Silver blushed. 'Yeah, I did. That's because she's cute and a really good friend. She might be tough around you guys but trust me, once you get to know her, she's a very different person.'

'Wow!' Knuckles.

'She seems nice anyway.' Tails said.

'Yeah, she is.' Silver said as he blushed again.

They walked ahead in silence. Sonic saw a picture of Blaze and he asked, 'Hey Silvz, where's Blaze?'

'She'll be here soon. Don't worry.' He reassured.

Soon, they entered a wide circular room. It was white with no windows or CCTV cameras. A single door led to a washroom. At the center of the room, there were white sofas surrounding an again white table with a flower vase in the center. The room was air – conditioned as well.

'This is the Nucleus room. This is where all topics of prime importance are discussed. It's been a while since the room has been used. I suppose it'll come to use soon.' Silver stated as he allowed them to have a look around.

'It's cool.' Knuckles said.

'Yeah, it's air – conditioned as you can see.' Silver nodded at the AC unit.

Knuckles shook his head, 'No, I meant that it _looks_ cool.'

'Oh, sorry!' Silver laughed.

'Let's go someplace else. This room makes me feel serious.'

'Well Sonic, that's the very purpose of this room you know.' Silver said as he made his way to the entrance. 'You are our prime member.'

Sonic smirked, 'Yeah, I guess that's probably the reason why there aren't any pictures of me in the Hall of Moments.'

Silver stopped dead and turned around, 'Wait, what?'

'Don't play dumb Silver. There aren't any pictures of me, Tails, Knuckles and Amy in that hall.'

'But there are! You guys are there in almost every picture!' Silver argued.

'Ha! Well if that's the case, you think we're blind?' Knuckles smirked.

'I saw pictures of my workshop but with no me in or around it.' Tails stated as he folded his arms and looked questioningly at Silver.

'No…' Silver stammered and went white. He then turned and quickly ran back to the Hall of Moments while close behind the three followed suit.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Hello and here is Chapter 9! If you're reading this make sure you review so that I may know if I should make this any better. Anyway thanks for your support. Some of you may find this interesting while others may find this so boring. _In the reviews, let me know what you guys think of Shari_ though. Thanks!**

'Where are they Shari?' Blaze asked as she entered the room. She had arrived a few moments back with Cream and Cheese soon after Silver had left with Sonic, Knuckles and Tails.

'They've gone to have a look around with Silver.' Shari replied as she came from the kitchen and placed a tray of freshly baked cookies with a jar of milk on the table. 'In the meantime, why don't you guys eat?'

'Not in the mood…' Blaze said as she watched Cream hand over a cookie to Cheese. 'Have you told them about the situation?'

Cream and Blaze looked at Shari intently as they waited for her reply.

'I haven't told them the whole situation in detail. I just told them what's going on and about Amy…' she choked at the mention of Amy's name. Cream placed a hand on Shari's shoulder as she fought back tears.

'It's okay Shari…she'll be okay.'

'I hope so…' Shari said, 'It's Sonic that I'm really worried about. I don't know what to say to him…'

'He will have to understand, Shari.' Blaze stated, 'He's mature enough to understand.'

'Maybe he is but…he's so anxious about her. Once he gets to know the truth, I don't think he'd side with us.'

'He will, Shari. He will have to know that there is no other way…' Cream said.

'I know.' Shari nodded, 'I know Cream.'

 _ **Meanwhile …**_

'No way…' Silver barely whispered as he stared at a picture of all the Freedom Fighters. He could see Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Amy smiling gleefully at the camera. 'You guys can't see yourself?!'

They shook their head in response as they looked at the photo. Silver was aghast. 'This is so _unreal_!'

'I think I know what's going on.' Tails said and everyone turned to look at him. 'You see, this is the future. If we get to see future us, then that would mean we won't be here since we're already here in our future forms. We're them anyway.' He was met with confused stares. He sighed and added,

'Like, suppose I meet my future self, I am him and he is me. We're one and the same except the fact that we're not of the same age or intellect. If we see each other, which is not possible, then that would mean we're not alike in anyway; which actually doesn't make any sense.'

'Wait,' Sonic said, 'So you're telling us that, since our future selves already lived our lives, they won't be living them again…? Like, through us…?'

'Yes, Sonic. After all, the prime reason we're here is to correct a mistake we made in the past. Our future selves did not correct it. And they can't go back in time to 3237 just to correct the mistake and get back. So instead…'

'…They decided on going back in time and getting their younger selves here to find a solution to the mistake.' Knuckles concluded for Tails to which he nodded.

'So, if they're not here right now then that would mean…' Silver said as he looked at the three.

'That could only mean that they're…within us.' Sonic said softly as he stared at Knuckles and Tails with fear and surprise. They stared back the same way.

'Shit. Are you in there future me?' Knuckles asked himself and got no reply.

'Man isn't this so weird!' Sonic stated, 'I suddenly feel like a fifty year old.'

'This is sad guys…' Silver said.

'Hey Silvz don't worry! You'll get them back.' Sonic winked.

'Yeah, we'll finish off whatever we are supposed to finish off and then be on our way back!' Knuckles punched Silver playfully on his shoulder.

'Ha! Well guys let's get back to Shari. The others must have come by now.'

They nodded and then made their way back to the meeting room.

 _ **So …**_

'Blaze!' Silver exclaimed as he made his way towards her and they hugged.

Sonic caught Shari looking away with a forlorn expression. He smiled at that.

'Where are the others?' Silver asked as he moved away from Blaze and looked around.

'They haven't come yet. Shadow and Rouge have gone to Eggman's chambers to retrieve some device. The Chaotix have gone for another detective venture.' Blaze sighed at the mention of the Chaotix, 'I don't know what has happened to Sonic though…' she then quickly added when she got a glance from Sonic, 'I mean _future_ Sonic.'

Silver shifted slightly, 'Yeah, about that, guys…'

'About what?' Cream asked since Silver refused to continue.

Sonic looked at Cream. She looked old. Not too old but just old. He was so used to seeing nine – year – old Cream so much that seeing forty – one year old Cream didn't help at all. She looked like her mother now and was probably married although he could see no wedding ring in her ring finger. She wore a long orange dress with a blue ribbon tied at the waist. She wore a gold necklace that shone every few seconds. She looked charming. He refused to meet her eyes since he was basically younger than her at the moment, which embarrassed him. He saw Knuckles and Tails looking away from her as well.

'Tails, will you do the honor of explaining…?' Silver asked.

Tails cleared his throat and said, 'Yes Silver.' He then told them what happened. He explained why they would not get to see future Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Amy unless their past forms went back. Sonic watched their faces fall instantly. He watched as Cream wiped a tear from her eye and Shari look away. Blaze maintained her calm even though it was evident that she wasn't happy. For the first time since Sonic arrived here, he felt uneasy. He felt like he was not meant to be here and that they would be happy to see him, Knuckles and Tails go back just so they could get to see the real Sonic and team instead of teenage Sonic and team. He felt so upset that he sympathized with them.

When Tails was done, Blaze said, 'Well, I guess that's it then. We wait till this is over.'

'Till _what's_ over?' Sonic asked, exasperated. He wanted this to end soon so that they could get back to 3237.

'Sonic, I thought I told you what the problem is…' Shari began.

'No you did not!' Sonic cut her short. 'All you ever told us till now is that Amy is the reason why we are here. You haven't yet told us _what's_ wrong with her and _what_ it is that we are supposed to do!'

'Yeah, we demand some explanation.' Knuckles said and folded his arms across his chest. Tails nodded and did the same.

Shari began, 'Guys will you please…' she stopped short when she was met with a cold glare from Sonic.

Silver raised his arms and looked intently at the team as he said, 'Guys, just relax. We'll let you know what's actually going on. Till then what we need is some cooperation. Why don't you guys just have a seat and relax? We promise to tell you.'

'Yes guys, please do.' Cream insisted gently as she nodded towards the sofas.

Sonic gave in and nodded. He cast Shari a look as he made his way towards the nearest sofa and sat down. Knuckles and Tails followed and sat down on either side of Sonic. Knuckles grabbed a cookie and started munching on it while looking at the Silver and his gang seriously.

'Guys, I'm so sorry I…' she again stopped short as Sonic turned his head away from her. She felt her throat tighten and chocked down a sob. She wasn't used to this.

Silver caught sight of her and said, 'Shari, leave this to me and Blaze. We'll handle it. Why don't you and Cream get back to Vanilla's and look after Amy?'

 _Amy!_

'I want to see her!' Sonic stood up and looked at Silver.

'Sonic. You will see her but not now, please.' Blaze reassured and looked at Sonic in his eyes. He nodded hesitatingly with a sigh and sat down again.

Silver looked again at Shari and nodded. Cream went towards her and held her hand as they both made their way out of the room.

After that, there was silence.

 _ **I'm sorry but...are my chapters too short? I'll make them longer if you guys so prefer. And please do review...please. And if you want more updates, you may follow me as well. Thank you!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Silver and Blaze sat down on the sofa facing Sonic, Knuckles and Tails. They stared at them intently, considering their options that they knew were less. They had to tell them the truth even though the truth could hurt them badly. But telling them the truth now could cause serious problems. Nothing was easy. Without further ado, they made up their mind.

'Okay so, there's this problem that we're facing, at the moment. It's not any ordinary problem that we can just solve within two days' time or something. It's complicated and that's why we've brought you guys here.' Silver told them.

'Look Silver, we know that already.' Sonic asked, 'Why don't you give us some details as to what's wrong with Amy?'

'Amy's sick Sonic.' Blaze said, 'I mean not _sick_ sick. She's just not… _okay_.'

'She has something inside of her that can cause heavy destruction if not taken care of sooner.' Silver added, 'It's a small metallic sphere about the size of your little finger. It's located _within_ her.'

'And how did it get inside of her?' Tails asked as he sat up now.

Silver sighed and said, 'We believe it's got to do with her involvement in combat. You see, ever since the war against Eggman, she has been involved in combat against petty criminals. At first we thought maybe one of the criminals must have somehow slipped it into her body without her knowledge…'

Blaze took over, 'But then we realized, with the help of Tails that the object is radioactive and can cause heavy damage if mishandled. It's somehow not causing any harm to Amy but it will cause harm to Station Square when the time comes.'

'And when is that…?' Knuckles asked.

'Sooner than we think.' Silver replied softly.

Tails spoke, 'If you're saying that the object is so carefully manufactured and seriously dangerous, then it is clearly evident that ordinary criminals are not behind it. It has to be someone else.'

Blaze nodded, 'We thought the same way when we found out what the object it made up of. We asked you guys then to look back and recall if Amy had been involved in any serious combat in her younger days.'

'That's when you guys gave us the supposed answer.' Silver added with a tight nod.

'The Death Egg…' Sonic murmured but loud enough for them to hear.

Silver nodded grimly and Blaze stayed quiet. There was a silence as they allowed the words to set in.

'But how?' Knuckles asked, breaking the silence. 'How can it be possible? This is insane!'

'Believe me Knuckles but those were the exact same words the future you said when he heard it.' Blaze said.

'The Death Egg…but how can you be so sure? She could have been involved in any combat after that too.' Tails asked.

'You see Tails,' Silver replied, 'That object has some coding that we're unable to decipher. From the looks of it, that coding seems to have come from the past and also set by some clever person from then. We can't be too sure but all evidence points to that fact only. And we can't disagree more. It must have come from Death Egg.'

'You could be right.' Sonic said as they turned their attention to him, 'Amy had been kidnapped by Egghead once during the war and was kept in his custody for two days until we finally rescued her. He must have put that object in her somehow…but damn this is crazy!'

'I know Sonic. It is crazy, and he had to choose Amy.' Blaze sighed and shook her head.

'But why would Eggman use a tactic that would only be executed in the future? After all he did lose.' Knuckles remarked.

'He was a very clever scientist. He made this object with specific coding from his time and designed it to only activate in the future which is smart because the coding will be outdated by then such that no one from the future will be able to decipher it. Also, he will be away from the potential damage that will be caused if we don't take action. You must know that the doctor is deceased. He passed away ten years ago.'

Silver spoke, 'I suppose we can call this Eggman's final battle against us. He knew he would lose the war, so he chose this object to be his last tool to defeat us.'

Sonic closed his eyes and sighed _. Damn you Eggman! Fighting even from your deathbed huh? Well guess what? We're not done. We'll win this last fight!_

'So, why did you bring us here? You think that we can decipher the coding?' Knuckles asked.

Blaze nodded and said, 'We can try. The thing is, your future selves could have travelled back in time in order to find some way to decipher this coding. But what has been done in the past cannot be undone. It was too late. So…'

'That's when you realized you bring us from the past…since we would know how to decipher the code. But you didn't realize that the future selves would disappear as a result.' Tails completed and after a silence, asked, 'Will this object cause Amy any harm once we start working on it?'

Sonic and Knuckles looked up anxiously.

Silver was silent for a while before he spoke, 'No…I don't think so guys. All we have to do is just decipher the code, find a way to deactivate it, and then safely take it out from Amy.'

'And you brought Amy here as well because…?' Sonic asked as he looked at Blaze.

'Because the object is till _ripe._ We can easily deactivate it now with no problem.' She replied.

'Okay…so I guess I know what we're supposed to do.' Knuckles concluded for them all as he sat back on the sofa. 'But what if we can't decipher this thing?'

'That's out of the question Knuckles. Once you see it, you'll have some idea or the other. Besides, I'm sure you guys must have deciphered plenty of codes of this type, so no worries!' Silver nodded.

'I would like to see Amy now though.' Sonic said and stood up.

Blaze smiled slightly and stood up as well, 'Yes Sonic, you guys may see her, it's about time.'

Sonic nodded and looked at Silver.

'I'll stay here. I have to contact Shadow and Rouge and ask them to return.' He then added hesitatingly, 'I'll see you soon Sonic.'

 _He's definitely hiding something!_

Sonic was about to ask when Blaze interrupted his thoughts, 'Sonic, aren't you coming?' she was at the door with Tails and Knuckles.

He quickly nodded and walked towards them.

 _Just hang in there Ames. We're coming for ya!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 _ **Chapter 11! There you go!**_

The door opened to a gleaming Cream. She opened the door wide and was all smiles much to the delight of Sonic, Knuckles and Tails.

'Welcome guys, come on in!'

They entered the cottage and looked around. It wasn't the same tiny cottage where Cream and her mother Vanilla lived in in the past; this one was, in fact, larger and more spacious. The front door led to the drawing room which was well furnished. To their right, placed at the center was a forty inch TV. On either side of the TV, small tables were kept with flower vases. Facing the television were cream colored sofas surrounding a larger table with yet another larger vase and newspapers. A soft and clean carpet was laid which covered three – fourth of the room. Beautiful paintings were hung facing each other on the walls and the sunlight that fell through the white net curtains added to the beauty of the room as a whole. If they didn't have a duty, they would have plopped themselves on the sofas instantly. But they knew that could wait.

Cream guided them through a narrow corridor and Sonic counted two bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen along the way. Various photos adorned the walls on both sides. He saw photos of Cream with her mother, a small child the face of whose was not clear to them and her with the Freedom Fighters. He saw a picture of Cream and Shari standing side by side holding hands and smiling gleefully at the camera. Shari looked younger then, maybe twelve or thirteen. In another picture, he again caught Shari and Silver standing together. They were looking away from the camera and seemed to be discussing something. The photo must have been taken without their knowledge because Sonic noticed Shari staring at Silver intently with great interest in her eyes. He smiled and shook his head.

'She's in here.' Cream said as she smiled at them and opened a door. When they entered, there she was, sitting up on a bed and reading. She looked up when she heard them enter.

 _Amy…_

'Guys!' Amy closed the book and attempted to get off the bed but Cream told her not to. She then stayed and watched Sonic, Knuckles and Tails walk slowly towards her. Cream left the room.

'Hey Ames, you alright?' Sonic asked as he sat down next to her on the bed and smiled warmly.

'Yeah, I'm fine Sonic. How did you guys find me?' she asked so innocently that it touched Sonic's heart.

'Well Amy you won't believe what we've been through!' Knuckles exclaimed. 'It was so bizarre!'

'What Knuckles intends to say is that a visitor from here brought us in order to rescue you. We came across her while we out searching for you.' Tails told Amy.

'Oh guys, I'm so sorry I caused you all a lot of trouble!'

'Hey, no problem!' Knuckles said as he patted Amy on her shoulder gently, 'We've been through worse.'

'Yeah…' Sonic said softly as he looked down at the floor.

'Amy, how long have you been here?' Tails asked.

'Not for long. I was outside in the garden for a while before I came back to this room. It's not so bad in here.'

'Where you in this room from the start?' Knuckles asked.

'Yes. I don't know what happened. I was walking with Sonic at the park and I remember racing him. I saw him run ahead of me and stop to turn around. Then at that very instant, someone _dark_ grabbed me and I vanish!' she paused and them added softly, 'I must have fainted then because when I woke up, I found myself …here.' She concluded as she pointed at the bed and the room.

Sonic felt anger toward Shari for having taken Amy away so roughly. He asked, 'Were you hurt?'

She shook her head in response and then looked at Sonic, 'I didn't know you guys would come so soon. I was worried as to how you'd find your way to the future.'

'Shari is the one who brought us here.' Sonic said.

'Shari! Yes, we spoke once. She's really nice!' Amy said excitedly, 'And besides, I think she likes Silver.'

'Yeah she does alright, it's pretty obvious!' Knuckles said and laughed.

'Do you know what's going on Amy?' Tails asked as if to change the topic.

'I think I do. Blaze gave me a few hints…said that there's something inside of me that need to be removed. God I feel sick to the stomach just thinking of it!' she clutched her stomach and they laughed.

Sonic said, 'Hey Ames, it's nothing to worry about. It'll be taken care of soon.'

She looked up at them, 'Do you guys know what's going on?'

They nodded in unison.

'Well then fill me up!'

'Listen Ames, I think it's best we wait for some time before we fill you in with the details.'

'Why? I'm okay. I just want to know what's going on with me. Is it that bad?'

'It's not too bad Amy. We promise to tell you later but not now.' Knuckles said.

It was then that Sonic was hit with a doubt that had been nagging him since the conversation with Silver and Blaze. He turned to ask Amy.

'Hey Ames, I just want to know, have you been involved in any fight since…'

He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and they all turned to find Cream with Vanilla at the entrance.

Sonic, Knuckles and Tails gaped at Vanilla as she made her way towards them on her wheel chair with a gentle smile. She was old…maybe around her sixties. She was still dressed in her same clothes. The only difference was that she wore tiny spectacles. She was still beautiful but not as much as she had once been. Her face was covered with wrinkles. Sonic felt sad, how different everyone would look in the future!

'Oh my dears! I'm so happy you've all arrived safe!' she exclaimed. Her voice was crisp and shaky.

'Yes, Vanilla…' Sonic said awkwardly and smiled shyly.

She shook hands with the three and Sonic noticed Cream watch with tears in her eyes. They both exchanged warm smiles and Sonic's heart ached.

'Looks like the fight against Eggman isn't over yet!' Vanilla joked.

'Yeah it sure looks so!' Knuckles said and smiled at Vanilla.

She turned towards Tails, 'Oh my dear Tails! You used to look so young!'

'Ha ha! Yeah!' Tails laughed awkwardly.

'Why don't you all come with me to the kitchen and have something to eat? Amy, we'll serve you here dear.' She nodded at Amy with a smile.

'Aww but Vanilla, I wanna eat with everyone else.'

Vanilla shook her head, 'No dear! You must have your rest!'

Amy sulked and nodded.

'Now come on dears, follow me!' she said as she turned her wheel chair around and started to move out of the room. Everyone followed except for Sonic. He waited for them to leave and then turned towards Amy.

'Bizarre huh?' he asked gently.

'Yes, when I first got here, it took me an hour to understand that I'm in the future. And, when I first saw Vanilla…I just cried. It's hard to believe that she'd be so old in the future…' she said softly and looked away, wiping a tear,

Sonic moved toward her, 'Hey, when all this is over, and once we get back to our time, I promise to take you out on a date.' He smiled.

Amy looked up at him and saw the honesty in his eyes. He had never looked even more handsome. She nodded her head and smiled through her tears.

'Thanks Sonic.'

'Yeah, take care Ames.' Sonic said as he moved away from her. 'I'll see you soon. Just hang in there alright?' he winked at her as she nodded gleefully and before leaving the room, he turned around and gave her his signature grin before closing the door softly.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _ **And I am back with the next chapter!**_

Sonic made his way to the kitchen and saw that everyone was seated already. Surprisingly, he saw Shari there too. She was having noodles quietly and seemed to be unaware of the noise and commotion going on around her. He turned his attention away from her and his mouth flew open when his eyes set upon the table. The food was breathtaking! Vanilla and Cream had cooked a wide variety of dishes for them. There were cakes, lemonades, truffles, tarts, noodles, fries, sandwiches, cookies, milk, chocolates, and of course, chilli dogs!

The setting was bizarre but no one cared. Sonic grabbed a plate full of chilli dogs and sat on the nearest chair and started munching on them. He saw Knuckles gobbling down a cheese cake and Tails helping himself with some tarts. This was the first proper food they were having ever since they had arrived here. Vanilla took out a freshly baked ginger cake from the oven and Cream was taking a little from everything and placed them on a tray to serve Amy.

Sonic chuckled with delight at the scene around him and it was then that he realized he was seated next to Shari. She was still quiet and oblivious to everything going on around her. He figured it was because of his behavior towards her back at Q – Base. He decided to apologize.

'Hey, you alright?' he asked her softly and waited for her response.

'Yeah.' She replied softly without looking at him as she twirled her spoon in the plate of noodles. _Now_ he felt guilty.

Sonic put down his chilli dog with great difficulty and turned his attention to Shari. 'Look, I'm really sorry about my rough behavior earlier ok? It's just that, I was annoyed that you gave out little information rather than being specific.'

'Hey, it's alright. I was wrong on being so secretive towards you guys. You deserved explanations. Now I'm pretty sure you've got them?' she looked up at him now.

Sonic nodded, 'I suppose we've been filled in with the right information.'

'I'm sure you must have.' She shook her head and resumed eating her noodles.

They didn't say anything after that.

xxxx

After having had his share of Vanilla's delicacies, Sonic made his way towards Amy's room. He opened the door slowly and looked in. She was sound asleep. He looked at her for some time. She looked very peaceful; as though she was unaware of the situation they were all in at the moment. He smiled softly as he looked at her for a little while longer before slowly closing the door.

xxxx

Sonic walked upstairs to the first floor and from a window, he saw Knuckles and Tails playing catch with a golf ball. He saw Cream tending to her rose garden while time and again; she shot glances at the two playing and smiled. Sonic smiled too and wished life would always be this way; with no troubles. But he knew what was best for him. He recalled what he had said to Tails back at his workshop: _It's just that...I'm restless Tails! I miss those days when we were always out and about kicking some Eggman butt_. It was only yesterday that he had said that. It's as if his complaints have been answered and now here they were, on another adventure. He turned away from the window and began to explore the first floor.

Like the ground floor, the first floor had two bedrooms and a bathroom also. There was a second guest room there too; similar to the one Amy was in below. There were another set of portraits and pictures on the walls and Sonic studied each of them. Before he was about to make his way back down, he felt a cool breeze blow his quills. He turned back and in a corner was a tiny balcony. It was hidden behind two large pots containing artificial flowers. He quickly sped towards the balcony and to his surprise, saw Shari there. She had her back towards him. Her brown hair flew with the breeze.

He made his way toward her and said, 'Nice place, huh?'

She turned to look at him and then smiled and nodded. She looked cute.

'Why are you here all alone?' he asked casually.

'I was just, thinking…' she replied.

'Yeah? Well, it seems something is troubling you…' Sonic mused hoping to get her to say something. When his tactic failed, he said, 'Is it Silver?'

That caught her by the end. She turned to him with a look of alarm and embarrassment and said, 'No, I mean, why would you say that?'

Sonic laughed, 'Don't think we haven't noticed. You really like him don't you?'

Shari blushed deep red and refused to meet his eyes. Sonic prodded her until she spoke, 'Well, I'm not in _love_ with him. I like him in a certain way. He…makes me feel nice.'

'That's interesting!' Sonic exclaimed. 'Does he know that?'

'I have tried telling him often whenever we were alone and the timing was right, but, either he got distracted or I just lost my enthusiasm at the last minute!' she shook her head with disapproval at herself. 'He's always busy Sonic. He always has been so. Before, it was your future self who was the head of Q –Base. Now that he and the others have disappeared, we had no choice than to make Silver the head. So, now he's got _that_ duty to keep himself busy with!

'Hey, what makes you think he doesn't feel the same way about you?' Sonic asked softly.

'It's obvious from the way he treats me. He's always so formal when it comes to talking to me. He never lets himself out whenever he's with me. He only does that when he's with Blaze.' She paused for a while before proceeding, 'It's not like I'm jealous of her. I like Blaze. She's a great role model for me. I just can't help thinking how lucky she is to have Silver with her all the time.

I just wish he would spend more time with me so that we could better understand each other. Besides, he would never like me anyway. He thinks we're better off as friends.'

Sonic stayed silent as he let the words sink in. He then said, 'You know what Shari? I promise, before we go back, you and Silver will start dating!' he added, 'Whew! That's my second promise for the day!' he then chuckled, embarrassed.

Shari laughed much to his delight. 'By the way, Silver wants to meet you personally at the Nucleus room this afternoon. I got a call just a few moments back.'

'Okay, I'll be there!' Sonic smiled and nodded.

'Say, where's Blaze? I thought she was with you guys?'

'Well she was, she just dropped us here and went off to some other place I don't recall.'

Shari nodded. 'OK.'

Sonic motioned towards the entrance to the balcony, 'Hey, why don't we get back down and spend some time with the others? Maybe spend some time with Amy?'

Shari nodded, 'Yes!'

They both laughed contently as they made their way back down stairs.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 _ **Sorry about that one day gap! I was tired was not in a mood to type out this chapter. So anyways, there you go!**_

Sonic reached the Nucleus room precisely at the time he was asked to. Being in time was not a problem for the Blue Blur. He sped around the room twice before he stopped next to a sofa. Silver hadn't reached yet and so he sat back on the sofa, crossed his legs and placed his arms behind his head and relaxed.

He hadn't noticed it earlier but the room was octagonal in shape. The ceiling was dome shaped with concentric circle designs carved onto it. Looking at the white ceiling and its design made Sonic sleepy and he realized that he didn't have a proper sleep ever since he got there.

He closed his eyes half way and was about to doze off when he heard footsteps. He shot his eyes open and looked toward the entrance to find Silver standing there feeling embarrassed with his right arm on his waist and his left arm behind his head. He smiled awkwardly at Sonic.

Sonic grinned and got up. 'Ha, talk about punctuality Silver!' he joked and pointed at Silver with both hands and winked.

Silver laughed, 'Well, I was quite busy discussing alternate solutions with Blaze and well, I guess it delayed.' He shrugged as he sat down opposite Sonic.

'Alternate solutions? What about it?' Sonic asked, intrigued.

'No hope, Sonic. Sorry.' Silver replied and shook his head.'

Sonic sat down now and crossed his legs. He looked at Silver intently and asked, 'Well? Why'd you call me?'

Silver cleared his throat, 'Well Sonic, I suppose you know what's going on now right?'

Sonic nodded, 'Provided I was given the right information.' He couldn't help thinking that something was being kept hidden from him and the others. He looked at Silver cautiously, searching for any sign of hesitation. Nothing.

'Don't worry. We've given you what is relevant. I mean…all there is to know.' Silver nodded at Sonic.

'Okay so,' Sonic said, 'then why did you call me here?'

'To let you know that we'll start working on this object soon.'

Sonic shook his head and said, 'Not soon Silver. We should start either by tonight or tomorrow. We can't delay this for longer. It's not that simple.'

Silver sighed, 'I know Sonic. But we have to take an X-Ray first and then try to get the coding on the object visible enough for you to decipher it. It'll take time for that.'

'That doesn't seem like a herculean task to me!' Sonic remarked, clearly amazed.

'Well apparently it is; getting that coding visible isn't that easy a task since it's small print.'

'Oh, well that's…obvious considering the fact that the object is barely the size of your little finger.' Sonic said as he lay on the sofa with his hands crossed on his chest.

'You look tired.' Silver remarked, 'I thought that visit to Vanilla's would lighten you up!' he laughed.

Sonic grinned, 'Yeah well it did. I felt good seeing Amy again. Say, she doesn't know what's going on doesn't she?' he looked at Silver.

Silver shook his head, 'No. We didn't tell her anything in detail yet.'

'Why is that? She deserves to know what's going on.'

'She does, but we don't intend her to freak out or anything.'

'She won't freak out Silver, believe me, she's a really smart girl. She's knows how to take care of herself.' Sonic sat up now.

'Well, I don't know…' Silver said softly.

'Well you should.' Sonic told him, 'She has to know what's wrong with her. Only then would she cooperate. We were about to tell her ourselves but refrained from doing so since you guys didn't tell her yet.'

'We will, Sonic.' Silver nodded.

Sonic then asked, 'Hey, why don't you guys just try to operate it out from her and dispose it off in the ocean or something?'

Silver shook his head and said, 'It's no use. The thing is radioactive and there is always the possibility of the substance getting into the atmosphere. That's why we choose to deactivate it at first and then remove it.'

'Oh! I hadn't thought of that!'

'So we'll start soon Sonic. Till then stand by Amy. We'll let her know soon too.' Silver said as he stood up. Sonic did the same and they both shook their hand and smiled.

'So that's it huh?' Sonic asked.

'Yeah, that's all I had to say.' Silver replied and laughed. 'Say, if you want, you may spend the night here. Otherwise you can stay at Vanilla's.'

Sonic thought about that. Staying over at this cool place? Sounds great! But then there's Amy, alone at Vanilla's. He recalled all those empty rooms he saw upstairs. He could stay there and at the same time, be there for Amy. It was the least he could do to make up for his ignoring her for three months back home. He knew where he was going to spend his nights here.

'I guess I've made up my mind! See ya Silver!' he said with a wink, waved and sped off.

xxxx

Sonic raced through the city. He felt free. He raced through the streets, the parks, the subways and glided along the railways lines, changing tracks every now and then. He jumped, skidded, smashed and glided as he made his way through with great zest. He felt the wind rush past him and he knew that it was one of the best feelings ever. He ran to the airport and then ran up a plane taking off and stood on its fuselage and before the plane sored higher, he sped to the cockpit, bent to gain grip and then jumped off. He extended his arms out like a bird and from where he soared; he could see the entire Station Square beneath him. The city was huge and spectacular. Tall sky scrapers adorned the streets and cars flew about everywhere. The citizens were out and about constantly. He took in the breathtaking sight and etched it in his memory, never to forget it. He took a deep breath and landed gracefully on a patch of grass in the park and took off again. He came to a clearing and then stopped to look around. It was at this very place that he, Tails and Knuckles had landed with the X –Tornado to search for Shari yesterday. The place hadn't changed one bit over the years. There were the same trees and shrubs. The air smelled sweet and a breeze blew by. He chuckled as he took off again to explore the countryside.

He ran along a straight, clear road the both sides of which were covered with grassy hills. He enjoyed the scenic beauty of it and ran faster. He stopped at a quiet lake that was surrounded by tall pine trees and shrubs. The grass here was soft and wet. The water in the lake was crystal clear and the ambience was warm and peaceful. He relaxed and made a mental note to bring Amy here one day when everything would be over.

 _When everything would be A –okay!_ He thought.

And he sped off again to explore more places. The future was waiting for him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 _ **I'm back! Thank you so much for your support. This story will take long to end. I might even exceed chapter 50. Till then, read on.**_

Sonic woke up to the sound of a piano playing downstairs. He figured it was Cream. He yawned and stretched on his bed as he turned on his back. He looked at the wall clock that was placed on the opposite wall. The time was eight in the morning. He was early for a change. He felt the warm sunlight streaming from the window fall on his face. It felt comfortable. The room was lit and very peaceful and calm. Sounds of nature filled the room. He wanted to go back to sleep but refrained as he had a mission. So he chose to get up.

Sonic had reached Vanilla's home late last night after having had spent the entire evening exploring the changes that Station Square had endured over the years. He raced along the streets and walked into malls, food courts, movie theatres and arcades. There were plenty of technological changes that had taken place. One thing that really caught him by surprise and awe was the television. Unlike the TVs from his time where one had to have a remote control to switch between channels, here, all one had to do was tell the TV to switch on and go to a certain channel. The TVs had voice sensors that could identify its owner's voice only. Sonic tried it out on a default set put on display at a mall and he was spell bound.

'Man, I've got get myself one of these in the future!' he had remarked.

When he had finally got back home, it was past ten – thirty. He had walked in to find Knuckles asleep on the sofa with the TV remote lying on his chest. The TV was still playing a sports channel. Knuckles loved watching soccer matches.

 _Looks like Vanilla likes old fashioned stuff better!_ Sonic had said to himself as he looked at the remote. At the mall, he had seen TVs from his time as well but the new gen TVs sold better.

Sonic walked towards Knuckles and took the remote. He then switched the TV off and placed the remote on the table nearby. He cast a glance at Knuckles who was fast asleep. He then chuckled and walked away to the kitchen.

He was greeted by Cream. She had been cleaning the dirty dishes. She turned when she heard Sonic and smiled at him warmly.

'Hello, Sonic. Where have you been?' she had asked as she wiped her hands dry on a towel.

'Zipping around as usual!' Sonic had exclaimed as he pointed outside with his thumb. 'Station Square looks _sweet!_ '

Cream laughed, 'Yes, indeed it does. It has undergone a lot of changes over the years! May I get you anything to eat?'

Sonic had nodded and she had served him chilli dogs and orange soda. They spoke till Sonic was done and he had volunteered to wash his plate himself despite Cream's disagreement.

Before he left for the upstairs bedroom he was allotted, Cream had said: Silver will be here tomorrow to see Amy, Sonic.'

He had nodded then and went upstairs. Sleep had taken the better of him then.

Sonic was fully awake now and had a quick shower. He ate the sandwiches and drank the milk that was placed on a tray on the bedside table. He then raced downstairs to Amy's room and said as he pushed the door open,

'Hey Ames, good mornin'!'

No response. She wasn't in.

It was then that he heard a commotion coming from the drawing room. He sped ahead and was surprised to see everyone seated there. They all stopped talking when they heard him come in and looked up at him. Sonic just stood there, his mouth partly open. _Wow,_ _talk about morning surprises!_

'Well, what do we have here?' Shadow sniggered, breaking the silence, 'The faker has decided to come join us.'

xxxx

'Sonic, why don't you have a seat?' Rouge suggested as she pointed to an empty chair. Sonic walked towards it and sat down. Everyone was still staring at him which made him feel uneasy.

'Hey good morning guys...what'd I miss?' he asked, 'It looks like you guys were discussing something? Ha, ha!' he laughed, embarrassed.

'Actually, we were waiting for you Sonic.' Tails remarked.

'Pfft! Pathetic!' Shadow said. He had his arms and legs crossed and his eyes closed while he wore a sly smile.

Sonic ignored him. 'So, what's going on here?'

'We were telling Amy what's happening to her.' Rouge said as she placed a hand on Amy's.

Sonic looked at Amy. She looked…scared. That look she had whenever she knew that he was in trouble, that he was going on a risky mission just for the sake of her and the others. Just this time, it wasn't him, it was her.

'We have to act fast!' Knuckles said as he banged the table. 'We shouldn't be sitting her doing nothing!'

'Knuckles, calm down. We have to listen to what Sonic has to say.' Tails said and once again, they all turned their attention to him except for Shadow. Sure, Sonic liked being the center of attention and all. He enjoyed being given the responsibility of decision making. He loved to tell his friends what they had to do in order to defeat Eggman. And, thanks to him, he was always right. Only this time though, he wasn't being asked to make a decision on Eggy. He was asked to make a decision on Amy.

He looked at her. She looked tired and innocent but she mustered up her courage and gave him a reassuring smile that went straight into his heart. He knew that, in order to save Station Square, she had to be handled with utmost caution. It hurt Sonic to think that Amy should go through all this alone. But he knew that he would stand by her all along the broken road, even if no one else would. He couldn't think of a life without silly Amy around. He had to make up his mind.

'Yeah, go ahead with the X –Ray or whatever.' He told them, refusing to meet their eyes.

Blaze said as she leaned forward, 'Sonic, you have to know what's under scrutiny here. We have to take an X- Ray of Amy so that the coding on the object will be visible. After that, we have to decipher it and then deactivate it.'

'Yeah, I know.' Sonic said as he folded his arms across his chest.

'The last part would be more difficult.' She said.

Sonic raised an eyebrow.

'Taking that object out from her.'

'What's so difficult in that?' he asked.

'It's a dangerous activity Sonic.' Rouge said. 'She'll be safe though, don't worry.'

'That's all I need to hear.' Sonic nodded at Blaze.

'So, I guess we can go forth with this then, huh?' Silver stated and stood up. He then looked at Amy, 'Hey Amy, would you come with us to Q – Base to perform the X -Ray?'

Amy stood up and looked at Silver. She looked so confident.

'Yes, Silver. Let's get this over with!'

That was their cue. Everyone got up. Cream, Rouge and Shari hugged Amy while Knuckles patted her on her back. Sonic just stood by and watched as everyone gave their well wishes for Amy's safety.

Amy had once said: _It would be so cool if I ever got to be the center of attention! You guys would be so full of respect and admiration towards me!_ He had laughed then, wondering about it's possibility.

Well it was true now. She was the center of attention. She had their respect and their admiration too. Sonic smiled and he realized that it was his turn to give Amy his wishes. He walked towards her. There seemed to be a pull between the two. A kind of spark. He walked and then stood facing her. He admired her courage and determination. She acted as though there was nothing going wrong with her; that she perfectly fine. He knew that this was one her qualities that he adored. She smiled up at him.

'Hey Amy, good luck. You'll be fine. I promise.' He said and gave her a wink and thumbs up. Her smile grew wider then and she gave him a hug.

And for the first time since he had met Amy, the hug didn't take the breath out of him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 _ **Again, I'm really sorry about that one day absence. I'm not always free. Once my college reopens, I doubt if I'd get to post regularly like this! Anyways, read on!**_

'What's taking them so long!?' Sonic cried out of sheer frustration.

He, Knuckles, Shari and Rouge were waiting in the common room, the exact same room he had come in at first with Shari and Silver. They have been waiting for the past four hours.

'I mean, why would an X –Ray take a _lot_ of time? This is ridiculous!' Sonic stopped pacing about the room and finally came to rest in front of them. He then crossed his arms and started tapping his foot.

They had come to Q – Base five hours ago with Amy. Tails had wanted to come but he had just then remembered his workshop and insisted on seeing it first while at the same time insisting that he would return. Silver and Blaze led them all to the common room and then said that they would be taking Amy with them to the Investigation department to conduct the X – Ray. They said that it would take less time but four hours was definitely _not_ less time. Moreover, Sonic was frustrated that there were no updates on the proceedings. Blaze had told them two hours back that Amy was doing fine and after that, there weren't any updates. Sonic hated waiting more than anything else.

'Just give it some time, Sonic.' Rouge suggested.

Sonic stopped tapping his foot and looked at her. Rouge wasn't the same girl she once was. She was older now, but of course she looked young. She looked to be around her thirties. She was still strikingly beautiful and elegant. She was more calm and poised now more than ever. She wore a tight fitting purple tee with black leather jeans and black combat boots. On her left hand, she had a communicator – basically a watch with a square shaped screen. She sat with one leg crossed over the other on an arm chair facing Sonic.

'I'm sorry Rouge but my time has run out.' Sonic exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

'Why don't we go and see for ourselves?' Knuckles asked.

Shari shook her head and said, 'No. We can't go. The Investigation department is off limits to anyone who has got no permission to enter. That basically includes us; except Tails of course.'

 _Damn, I wish I was smart!_

'Shari, why not try contacting them? Maybe you could get us down to have a look.' Sonic told her.

'I can't. Silver has warned me not to take you guys down there. I'm sorry.'

'Why?' Sonic asked, his voice rising, 'They must be hiding something from us!'

'No! They're not. It's just that, you guys might not feel happy being there, seeing Amy being examined and all. He said that it's best you guys stay here till the X – Ray is over.'

'She's right.' Knuckles said with a nod.

Sonic let out a loud sigh and turned his face away from her. He placed his hands on his waist and resumed tapping his right foot on the floor carpet.

'Sonic, why not go out and get some fresh air? It'll help clear your mind. We'll let you know when they come back or provide us with any news. Here, take my communicator.' Rouge told him as she took off her communicator and handed it to him.

Sonic did need some fresh air at the moment to ease his nerves. He took the communicator from Rouge and, without another word, he sped out of the room.

xxxx

Sonic stood at the edge of the terrace which was at the very top of the building. The entire Station Square could be seen clearly. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful enough to smooth his nerves. A warm breeze blew from the opposite direction that helped him think. He was lost in thoughts. He stared at the afternoon city that was busy as usual. Oddly, it was quiet and less noisy. Time and again, he looked at the communicator, hoping to get a call anytime from Shari. Nothing came. He sighed and thought about the probable reasons as to why the X –ray was delaying. He tried to take away thoughts that meant the worst. He tried to focus on the positive reasons…maybe the doctor was late? Or maybe there is some problem with the equipment.

As Sonic stood there, his arms crossed, at the tip of the terrace, rationalizing the current situation, he heard someone behind him say:

'There is no reason for you to be so paranoid.'

Sonic turned; it was Shadow the hedgehog. He was standing on top of a pole, looking ahead at the city sprawled in front of them. Sonic smirked at Shadow and shook his head.

'Looks like you're more poise than you should be, faker!'

'Humph!' Shadow shook his head and jumped down. He walked towards Sonic, who prepared himself for a possible fight. But Shadow stopped a few inches in front of him and crossed his arms.

'I am not the old me.' He said in that usual deep voice of his as he noticed Sonic ready himself for a fight.

Sonic stared at him. _Old him?_

'What do mean, Shadow?' he asked incredulously.

Shadow closed his eyes and said, 'Circumstances have changed our conditions over the years. Your future self and I no longer see each other as rivals.'

Sonic gaped at him, 'Huh!? You mean to say, that we don't fight anymore?'

Shadow opened his eyes and glared at him, 'Haven't I made myself clear, stupid?'

Sonic let out a huge sigh of amazement and almost laughed. He looked at Shadow and teased, 'I can't believe it Shadow! Don't tell me that the old me doesn't _stir_ anything within you?' he placed his hands on his waist, winked and smiled at the ebony hedgehog.

'It seems you prefer one?' Shadow asked and smiled.

'Ha! Anytime with future you!' Sonic joked and winked again.

Shadow turned away, 'Typical, for I _respect_ future you.'

'Really?' Sonic asked as he studied Shadow.

'You will soon see the reason why.'

'That's odd, coz I've always sorta respected you!'

'Pathetic!' Shadow shook his head and relaxed.

Shadow stared at Sonic. He wasn't his usual self. Something was bothering him and he knew that it has got to do with Amy. He sighed.

'You don't have to worry much about her.'

Sonic looked at him and said in a soft tone, 'I feel like I should. She's one of my best friends.'

'She'll be okay.' Shadow reassured.

'Maybe she will. But something kinda tells me that Silver and Blaze are hiding something from us…or from me.'

Shadow remained silent.

'Amy doesn't know. She won't ever know.' Sonic looked at Shadow straight in his eyes and said, 'If anything at all goes wrong, we won't be able to save her in time.'

'Don't. She'll be fine.' Shadow said and then turned around. The sun was slowly setting and the light turned his proud figure into a silhouette. There was an air of finality around him. He turned his head to his side as if facing Sonic and then said, 'You just have to be there for her. That's all she needs.' He then turned away, 'Until next time, Sonic.'

Shadow then raised his voice and said, 'CHAOS CONTROL!'

He was then gone with a flash of green light.

Sonic stared at the place from where Shadow has just disappeared. He pondered over his last words.

Just then, Sonic got a call on his communicator. It was Shari.

'Sonic, do get here fast! We've received news from Silver!'

That was his cue. Sonic then quickly made his way downstairs to the common room. There he was met with an odd air of silence. Shari looked up at him and said softly,

'It's too late, Sonic. We haven't much time left…we're sorry.'


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 ** _I'm back with the latest chapter folks! Sorry for being late yet again. I'm really busy this week. That's why the delay. I assure you this is not intentional._**

Sonic and Kunckles rushed into the Investigation department. It was a large, white, spacious room half the size of a football field. There were plenty of medical equipment on the far side of the room and there wasn't any staff in sight.

Sonic looked ahead and saw Amy sitting on a raised steel bed. She was bent over with her hands clutched tightly onto the side of the bed. She didn't see them enter. A doctor who was monitoring her turned his attention towards them and scowled in their direction. Sonic ignored him and focused on Amy.

She looked so tired and worn out. It hurt him to see her that way. How much more was there for her to endure? He quickly rushed to her side followed by a very upset Knuckles. The doctor immediately moved away from them and stood by at a distance, vigilant.

Sonic placed his hand atop Amy's and asked softly, 'Hey Ames. You okay?'

Amy slowly looked up at him and nodded slowly. Her eyes were droopy and she looked so frail. She had never looked like this before.

'What did they do to you, Amy?' he asked even more softly as he leaned closer towards her. She felt his warm breath on her muzzle.

'Nothing, Sonic.' She whispered, 'All they did was taking repeated X – rays. That's all.'

'It didn't hurt did it?' he asked.

'No, why would it hurt? X – Rays don't hurt Sonic.' She replied and then laughed shakily. She then took a deep breath and let it out. Sonic placed a hand on her forehead.

'You're sick, Amy.' He said, his voice shaking with the anger that rose inside of him.

'Not too bad, I hope?' she joked feebly.

Knuckles placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, 'You look like you haven't slept for days!'

Amy laughed again. She then suddenly lost her grip of the bed frame and almost fell if it wasn't for Sonic having caught her just in time.

'They kept taking X – Rays over and over again. Silver and Blaze stood by me the whole time telling me that everything was alright, when actually, it wasn't.' she then paused for a while before saying, 'I asked them why it was taking so long. They told me that they had to get some coding clear enough for deciphering. I couldn't ask more since I suddenly felt a wave of fatigue engulf me. I was then asleep.'

Sonic and Knuckles stayed silent as they let the words sink in. They felt anger soaring up within them against Silver and Blaze.

'Didn't you have any rest while this was taking place?' Sonic asked.

To their shock, Amy shook her head in response before answering, 'I wasn't allowed to rest. I had asked for food but they refused saying that it would obstruct the object that's within me.' She then shook slightly and closed her eyes. Sonic and Knuckles held on to her.

Knuckles was so mad that he immediately turned to the doctor standing behind them who was a squirrel in his thirties and yelled:

'YOU CALL YOUSELF A DOCTOR WHEN YOU CAN'T MEET HER NEEDS?! GO GET HER SOMETHING TO EAT YOU ASSHOLE!'

The squirrel opened his mouth to protest and then closed it immediately when Sonic turned and shot him a cold, hard glare. He swallowed his words and quickly turned and dashed for the door. He wouldn't dare deal with Sonic and Knuckles on his own. Who cared what Silver had told him earlier? He knew better than to mess with the hero of Mobius!

Back inside the Investigation Department, Sonic and Knuckles told Amy that she would get something to eat soon. She seemed relaxed when she heard this and gave them a small smile. She looked so tired that Sonic felt he shouldn't trouble her more; that he had to give her the much deserved rest.

'Amy, do you happen to know where Silver and Blaze are at the moment?'

She nodded slowly and pointed to their right.

'I heard them say that they needed to examine the X – Rays and then went in that direction,' she said feebly as she pointed.

Sonic and Knuckles both looked to their right and saw a door that was closed on the far side of the room. Sonic then turned to Knuckles and said,

'Knuckles, you stay here with Amy while I go and have a word with those two.'

Knuckles nodded in agreement and watched as Sonic sped towards the closed door.

xxxx

The door burst open with force and Sonic stood at the entrance. Right in front of him, Silver and Blaze were seated on armchairs and were going through some scans on the computer. The two immediately got up on hearing Sonic enter. Sonic walked towards them and asked in an agitated tone, 'Mind telling me what you guys did to Amy? She's right there all tired and worn out!'

Blaze held her hands out as if to calm him, 'Sonic, we have warned you that the X – Ray would take time. That's the reason why Amy's tired. It's over now though. She can have her rest.'

'Rest?! She's sick! She has been undergoing X – Ray after X – Ray for five hours straight! You guys should have given her breaks in between!'

'Sonic, clam down, she'll be alright in the next few hours.' Silver said. 'We're sorry it had to be this way. There wasn't any other choice.'

Sonic kept his rage in check when he said, 'You should have let me stand by her…!'

They kept quiet when he said this and looked away.

'She doesn't deserve to go through all this alone! I promised myself that I would stand by her!' he shouted as he motioned with his left arm to where Amy sat.

'Sonic, you know that all this is being done for a reason.' Blaze said as she looked at him.

'Yeah. And then hurt her in the process? Talk about the height of ambiguous medical testing! Who knew that even X – Rays would cause a patient to be worn out!'

'That was unintentional. Really.' Blaze said, 'The situation was so grave that we had to conduct multiple X – Rays. We had to get that coding clear enough for you to decipher it. If we made a break in the process, we would have had to take the scans from the start.'

'Continuous scanning had to be done for the coding to be clear with each successive scanning. It was hard work. Even we're tired.' Silver stated.

Sonic ignored that and asked, 'Shari told me that it's late. What did she mean?'

Silver replied to that, 'The date on the coding is decipherable to us. The date is only three days from now. We don't have much time.'

Blaze nodded in agreement, 'We should act fast. We still have two days with us.'

Sonic looked at them both. He still had this feeling that they were keeping something from him. They refused to let out any signs though.

'What about Amy?'

'We still have to keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't involve herself in any kind of battle over the next two days.' Silver told him.

That took a hard bite off Sonic's heart. He had never told Amy to stay away from battle unless the situation proved to be dangerous for her, or if she was badly injured. She was among the Freedom Fighters for a reason. She had worked hard to be who she is now. Nothing ever came free. She had her Piko Piko hammer with her for a reason too; it chose _her_ as its worthy owner. She was always courageous in battle and loved being the hero that she was. Telling her not to fight would be the hardest thing Sonic would ever have to do.

At the same time tough, he knew that it was the best thing to do. It just has to be done. _For her._

He looked at them. He had to come to terms with what was going on. After all, they needed him.

'When do we start fighting?' he asked them. He had a feeling that his decision would cause Amy a lot of harm. He felt his heart turn cold and his conscious yell at him to take back his words.

He couldn't do that though. The damage was already done.


End file.
